Julius West Middle School and

Richard Montgomery High School

International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme

Developing Your Personal Project

2013 – 2014

8

Completing the personal project

2013-2014

Introduction

The student is expected to:

document his or her process select a topic of personal interest focus the personal project through an area of interaction structure the personal project report according to the information provided in this guide respect word or time limits for the report fulfill ethical and academic honesty requirements established by the school.

This section contains guidance for supervisors and students on defining the goal, developing the focus area of interaction, and completing the project.

Using the process journal

All ATL skills (organization, collaboration, communication, information literacy, reflection, thinking and transfer), will be required in completing the personal project and documenting process and in this way students show working behaviors and academic honesty.

The “process journal” is a generic term used to refer to the documentation that students develop. However, the media for documenting the process can vary depending on student preferences. It can be written, visual, audio or a combination of these and might include both paper and electronic formats.

Students will be familiar with the practice of documenting process in the arts and technology subject groups, for example, and can draw on techniques used in these and other subjects. Students may develop their own format and design, although schools can provide templates or examples in order to support students’ work.

Students must show evidence of regular use of the process journal, though not necessarily weekly. Though legibility is important, quality of thinking is more important than neatness and presentation.

The process journal is … The process journal isn’t …

begun at the very start of the process and used throughout the process

a place for planning

a place for recording interactions with sources, for example, teachers, supervisors, external contributors

a place for storing useful information—quotes, pictures, ideas

used on a daily basis (unless this is useful for the student)

written up after the process has been completed

additional work on top of the project; it is part of and supports the project

a diary with detailed writing about what was done

9

a means of exploring ideas

a place for reflection on stages of the project

a place for evaluating work completed a place for reflecting on learning

devised by the student in a format that suits his or her needs

useful for the student when receiving formative feedback

used by the student to produce the project report.

a static document with only one format.

Documenting the process might include:

Mind Maps® bullet lists charts short paragraphs notes timelines annotated illustrations pictures.

Assessment of the process journal

This documentation of the process is assessed using criterion A.

In assessing the process journal, supervisors will need to consider how students have demonstrated the use of ATL skills, including responsibility for their own learning in achieving their personal project goal and completing their personal project.

When assessing the use of the process journal the following questions can be considered.

Has the student included evidence of personal goal setting and planning, such as a plan of action? Does the student have the relevant materials during meetings with the supervisor and during work periods? Does the student follow meeting arrangements with the supervisor? Does the student initiate meeting

arrangements? Does the student use the meeting time productively to ask questions and seek information? Is there dialogue between the student and supervisor? Does the student record sources consulted? Does the student include extracts of relevant information? Does the student show evidence of brainstorming ideas and use of organizational tools such as flow charts,

diagrams or lists? Does the student anticipate and identify problems as they emerge? Does the student create solutions? Does the student include reflections at various stages of the process? Does the student include feedback from the meetings with the supervisor?

It is important to remember that the process journal is personal to the student, in the sense that he or she is also exploring ways of recording his or her process. There is no one single model that a student must use and there must

10

be flexibility with the way students record their process. However, the student does have a responsibility to be able to produce evidence of use of the process journal in order for a level to be awarded for criterion A.

Defining the goal

Identifying the topic

Students begin by identifying areas or topics of interest to themselves. Having the opportunity to think and brainstorm ideas is useful for students, as well as discussing ideas with other people; for example, other students, friends outside the school, relatives and teachers. Students should begin to document their process at this stage, including ideas discussed and their thinking.

After this brainstorming, the process of refining and developing ideas begins. Through this process, students should develop an outline of the goal they wish to pursue, which will often form the basis of the first meeting between the student and the supervisor.

Students should develop a goal which they can accomplish but challenges their knowledge, skills or techniques in an appropriate way. Some projects may require overly complex procedures or a too lengthy process of learning. Other projects may be too simplistic and present no challenge to the student. Deciding whether a project is realistic or unrealistic for a student will be based on discussions between the student and the supervisor. Goals should be achievable based on the time and resources available.

Determining whether a project is appropriately challenging is a highly individual decision. What is labelled as too ambitious or limited for one student will be accessible or challenging for another. The student’s individual strengths and limitations need to be considered alongside his or her specific interests and prior knowledge. While collaboration with others will form part of the project, the project must be the student’s own; he or she must have the capacity to complete the project without relying solely on the help of others. The student can involve teachers and other appropriate adults as resources but the project must be completed by the student.

Documentation of process continues here in the early stages when defining the goal and during the research phase.

Here are some examples of challenging and highly challenging projects.

Challenging project Highly challenging project

A student wants to raise political awareness among his or her peers through an information-giving campaign.

A student wants to influence an external political system and get a bill passed through a national government.

A student wants to create a durable bag using second-hand materials.

A student wants to create a range of bags using second-hand materials to sell and raise money for charity.

A student decides to create a puppet-show to take to a primary school to contribute to their end of year celebrations.

A student decides to create a puppet-show to entertain children and to tour several schools and hospitals.

11

A student decides to write an article on a topic of interest for a journal (school/academic/special interest) and submit to an audience.

A student decides to write and publish an original book-length feature on a topic of interest.

Identifying the focus area of interaction

The area of interaction chosen by the student should provide a context for inquiry and research for the project as well as informing the goal. It is strongly recommended that students choose one area of interaction in order to define their goal, as this will give a much more specific focus to the project.

The area of interaction helps the student engage in a cycle of inquiry (understanding/awareness, reflection and action) and a process that leads them from academic knowledge to thoughtful action.

Here are some questions students might consider as they choose an area of interaction through which to focus their project.

What do I want to achieve through my personal project? What do I want others to understand through my work? What impact do I want my project to have? How can a specific area of interaction enrich my project?

Illustrations of the impact of the area of interaction on student projects are included in the section “Addressing the areas of interaction”.

It must be noted that all students will use ATL skills in the completion of their projects but only some students will use ATL as a focus for their project, as seen in the illustrations referred to in the section “Addressing the areas of interaction”. A personal project with a specific ATL focus must address a specific aspect of learning in some way.

Creating specifications to evaluate the outcome or product

As part of the goal students must determine a final outcome or product for their project.

The outcome or product might be an original work of art, a model, a business plan, a campaign, a blueprint or architectural drawing, an essay, a course of study, a debate, a film or some other work. Students must define realistic specifications to measure the quality for the project’s final outcome/product. Working with their supervisor, students must define what constitutes a high-quality outcome or product. Some appropriate tools for setting standards and assessing quality include checklists or rubrics. Students document the specifications in their process journal and use them to assess the final outcome/product.

For example, the goal may be to raise awareness of some issue through a poster campaign. The product is the exhibition of a series of posters created by the student that require a response from the audience. In this case the product has two parts: the posters themselves and the exhibition.

It is most likely that students will not be able to define the specifications until they have spent some time researching the goal and this aspect is determined once students have begun their investigations. Once students are clear on what they want to achieve and the outcome or product of their project, they will be in a position to determine the specifications. Students will use these specifications to evaluate the quality of the outcome or product as assessed in criterion E.

Note: Where the student decides to write an essay as their product, this is separate to the project report.

12

Following this initial research stage and deciding on the goal and area of interaction focus, students will need to plan for the project. They will need to decide on the specific tasks or activities they will complete in order to reach certain milestones or interim stages.

Selecting sources

Students should select relevant and reliable information from a variety of sources to develop the personal project. The number and type of resources will vary depending upon the nature of the project; however, in order to reach the highest levels of achievement, students must select a range of sources and a variety of types. Evaluating the reliability of sources will be developed through ATL, particularly information literacy skills. Students will consider factors such as credibility of the author, currency, accuracy, relevance, intended audience and objectivity of the source.

Available sources may include students’ prior knowledge, and primary and secondary sources such as: subject area content, significant people, survey data, published media, internet resources (which may provide a variety of resources), video or audio recordings, images. Access to these may be virtual.

Although students may include their prior knowledge as a source, prior knowledge alone does not provide sufficient depth or breadth of inquiry for the personal project.

Students will have selected sources during the initial stage of their project but research will continue during the process of completing the project. They should record information collected from these sources in their process journal.

The focus area of interaction will influence the selection of sources.

Applying information

Application of information takes place throughout the project as students decide what actions to take and when, and as they keep records in their process journal. Students need to be aware of recording their decision-making which has been based on information from sources. They will make connections with prior knowledge and new knowledge in potentially unfamiliar situations and identify solutions.

When they come to report the project their records will be particularly important. As mentioned in “Using the process journal”, these records do not need to be lengthy but appropriate to the needs of the student and a reminder of what they have achieved along the way.

Achieving the goal

This is the stage when students complete their goal and produce the outcome or product. They will evaluate the outcome or product using the specifications created earlier during the process.

Reflecting on learning

Students will reach a stage of the project when they are able to begin preparing their project report. They will need to reflect on what they have learned through completing the project. This learning relates to the subject-specific learning of the topic itself and what they have discovered in relation to the project goal and the area of interaction. It also relates to themselves as learners and their awareness or development of approaches to learning skills.

13

Reporting the project

During the whole process, students will have kept a record of their decisions and should use this in order to help them produce the project report and reflect specifically on their learning and achievement. This is addressed in the “Reporting the personal project” section.

Your final grade will be determined more by the quality of your Personal Project Report than by the quality of your final product.

I. Structure of the Personal Project Report: The written presentation of all types of personal projects must follow the same general structure and include the following elements:

Elements of the Personal Project Report Criterion Measured

Title page – include an original title for your project Student name The title of the project Length (word count) School name Year

Criterion G

Table of Contents(i.e., a list of the sections and sub-sections of the project) Criterion G

Introduction, the “first telling”; a narrative which: Clearly defines the goal of your project Clearly explains how your project connects to or exemplifies the chosen

Area of Interaction (see attached description) Provides a simple outline of how you intend to achieve your stated goal Includes what kinds of information (research) you will need and how will

you use it once you get it

Criterion B

Selection of Sources, including: Select varied, relevant sources to achieve the goal

Include books, internet sources, interviews, articles, etc. Quote from your sources and acknowledge sources in your report and

bibliography Evaluate sources

Explain each source that was helpful and each source that was not helpful

Criterion C

Application of Information, including: Transfer and apply information to:

make decisions,

Criteria D

14

create solutions, and develop understandings in connection with the project’s goal.

Interpret in information from sources researched and selected Think about the information researched and selected in order to:

develop context for inquiry identify questions and issues for the project solve problems

Achieve the Goal, including: Evaluate the outcome/product against personal specifications for success Reflect on the impact of your project on yourself, community, or both Discuss any new perspectives that could be considered

Criterion E

Reflection on Learning, including Reflect on how completing the project has extended your knowledge and

understanding of the topic and the focus area of interaction Reflect on personal development as a learner by completing the project

Criterion F

Report the Project, including: Organize the project report according to the required structure (Criteria B-

F) Communicate clearly, coherently and concisely, within required limits

(word count: 1,500-3,500) Acknowledge sources according to MLA format

bibliography appendices citations, etc.

Criterion G

Use of the Process Journal, including Demonstrate organizational skills showing time- and self-management Communicate and collaborate with the supervisor Demonstrate information literacy, thinking and reflection

Criterion A

15

Research Tips

How to find Sources for the Personal Project

You are required to complete research for your project. We expect you to use the library and the

computers at school and the resources available to you at home to complete relevant and

carefully documented research.

1. Find sources for your research

a. Use human resources: conduct interviews with experts in the field. You might

consider using a tape recorder or email interview to quote your source accurately.

b. Use our library’s online databases (ProQuest, Questia, SIRS, etc.) to find articles

from books & newspapers/magazines. A complete list of our databases and login

information is on Edline.

c. Use our library’s Patron’s Catalog to find books or use the public library

d. Judiciously use Google to search the web: beware suspicious sites, and do not

rely solely on websites.

2. Read your sources: select only the resources that will be relevant to your project

3. Take notes on the information in your sources using Noodletools. (see next page)

16

How to create a Works Cited List and Notecards using Noodletools1. Create a Noodletools account to construct Works Cited and Notecards electronically.

You must create a Personal ID on http://www.noodletools.com/ using our library’s login

information. LOGIN: mcpsrmontgom PASSWORD: mcpsmd

2. Create a “List” in Noodletools and name it “Personal Project” – When you click “create a

new list” it will ask you to choose the list style. You should choose the first one: MLA

Advanced. That is the format you have learned in English class.

3. Next you will create Works Cited entries for your sources. Scroll down the list to find

the specific kind of source you are using. Enter the publication information for your

source, and be sure to observe proper capitalization and punctuation. Your Works Cited

will be incorrect if you enter the information incorrectly.

4. Create Clusters: you should organize your notecards by creating a new “cluster” (look

for the tab on the right) for each topic of your research. For instance, if you were doing a

personal project on global warming it would make sense to make different clusters like

“Green house Gasses” and “How you can prevent Global Warming” to organize your

notecards.

5. Create Notecards: Title each notecard specifically. For instance you could title one card

“Aerosol sprays” and put it in the “Green house Gasses” cluster. Make sure you link

every notecard you make to a specific source and a specific cluster.

a. You may cut and paste the quote if you are using an online source, but wherever

you get your source from, make sure it is very short. Each notecard should be

very short and specific.

b. You must complete all three sections “Quotation” “Paraphrase” and “My Ideas.”

For the “paraphrase” section, make sure you do not imitate the author’s original

words at all. Write your analysis in the “my ideas” section (this is where you

make the connection between this information and the argument you are making

in your project.)

17

c. How to integrate textual support into your Report

Use in-text citation.

When you write a paper for English class you have to use parenthetical or in-text citations to note the page number for each quotation. For instance, if you were quoting from Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird you might quote and cite like this:

Atticus instructs his children, “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view” (Lee 30).

Even if you did not directly quote from the novel but paraphrased the quotation you would have to cite it parenthetically:

Atticus instructs his children to take other people’s perspectives into account (Lee 30).

Then at the end of the paper you would have a Works Cited entry that would look like this:

Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird. Warner Books: New York, 1960.

Now for English papers you usually don’t put the author’s name in the in-text citation (only the page number) and you usually don’t make a Works Cited page because you’re usually only citing one novel. Your Personal Project will require you to cite information from several sources, though, so you’ll need to use proper in-text citations throughout and a complete Works Cited list at the end.

Warning: sometimes online sources or database sources will not have page numbers, and that’s ok. If you are citing a source without the page number you can just put the author’s name in parenthesis. If there is no author, just a title, you’ll put the title of the source in parenthesis.

Every time you quote or paraphrase information from a text you have to use in-text citation! If you make a tri-fold board, a PowerPoint, a research paper or any other project where you quote from a source you have to put the parenthetical citation beside it so your reader will know that you are not plagiarizing. It’s not your original idea, so give the writer credit!

If you have any questions about whether your in-text citation and Works Cited are correct, use the book Writer’s Inc. or ask your English teacher.

This is an in-text citation.

18

As you plan your project, you will need to decide which Area of Interaction will be your primary focus, given your particular interest or goal. There may be an additional AOI connection, but it should be secondary. These descriptors are designed to help you connect your project and your chosen Area of Interaction in meaningful ways. Once you determine the Area of Interaction lens you will be using, be prepared to develop this connection in your Personal Project Report and throughout your project.

Community & Service How do we live in relation to each other? How can I contribute to my community? How can I help others?

Does my project connect to any of the following themes: An interest in today’s world Sensitivity to the needs in my community or the community of others Similarities and differences in communities Developing a sense of responsibility in yourself or others Discovering if one person can make a difference

Human Ingenuity Why and how do we create? What are the consequences?

Does my project connect to any of the following themes: The positive and/or negative consequences of creativity? The influence of men and women of genius The impact of technology on society The impact of art on society The impact of literature on society The impact of science on society The impact of inventions on society

Environments Where do we live? What resources do we have or need? What are my responsibilities

Does my project connect to any of the following issues: The interdependence of humans and their environment The consequences of human manipulation on or interference with the environment Local, regional, national or international environmental concerns Pollution, conservation, population growth, water supply etc.

Health & Social Education

19

How do we think and act? How am I changing? How can I look after myself and others?

Does my project connect to any of the following topics: Nutrition, exercise, personal hygiene, physical and mental health, leisure, alcohol, drugs,

tobacco Emotions, adolescence, family relations, cultural identity, sexual issues, peer relations/peer

pressure, decision making, responsibility, respect for self and others Consumer issues, advertising, media Health or legal services, safety, poverty, vandalism, delinquency

All projects will have an ATL focus, so it is not likely that it will also be the primary focus of your project. Speak with your supervisor or Ms. Clarkson if you are confused.

Approaches to Learning How do I learn best? How do I know? How do I communicate my understanding?

Through completion of the Personal Project, what can I learn about my: Responsibility - organizational skills, time management and positive attitudes towards work Communication skills – creative writing, reading, speaking and/or listening Research skills – accessing information, selecting appropriate information, judging

authenticity of information, general understanding of the research process Reasoning Skills – generating new ideas, considering issues from multiple viewpoints Reflection Skills – evaluating my performance realistically and using the information to

change my behavior

20

Personal project assessment criteria

Please note that the assessment criteria in this guide are for first use in final assessment in June 2012 for northern hemisphere schools and December 2012 for southern hemisphere schools.

The following assessment criteria have been established by the IB for the personal project in the MYP. All assessment of the personal project in year 5 of the MYP must be based on these assessment criteria even if schools are not registering students for IB-validated grades and certification. Schools must not add or remove assessment criteria or alter descriptors.

The third column in the table below indicates where the evidence will be found.

Criterion A Use the process journal Process journal Maximum 4

Criterion B Define the goal Report Maximum 4

Criterion C Select sources Report Maximum 4

Criterion D Apply information Report Maximum 4

Criterion E (non-moderated)

Achieve the goal Product and report

Maximum 4

Criterion F Reflect on learning Report Maximum 4

Criterion G Report the project Report Maximum 4

Total 28

For each assessment criterion, a number of level descriptors are defined. These describe a range of achievement levels with the lowest level represented as 0.

The descriptors concentrate on positive achievement, although failure to achieve may be included in the description for the lower levels.

Criterion A: Use the process journal

Maximum: 4

21

Students should:

demonstrate organizational skills showing time- and self-management communicate and collaborate with the supervisor demonstrate information literacy, thinking and reflection.

The section “Completing the personal project” in this guide has guidance concerning the type of evidence that students should include in the process journal.

Extracts from the process journal must be submitted in samples of work for external moderation to support the level awarded for criterion A. The student must take responsibility for making the appropriate extracts available to the supervisor.

The extracts chosen to support the level awarded for criterion A should reflect each of the strands in the criterion. It is anticipated that the complete process journal will be more extensive. However, between 10 and 20 individual entries are sufficient to represent the student’s work. An individual entry does not need to be extensive and includes any of the examples that students might use to document the process, referred to in the subsection “Using the process journal”.

Achievement level

Level descriptor

0 The student has not reached a standard described by any of the descriptors given below.

1 The student demonstrates minimal: organizational skills through time and self-management

communication and collaboration with the supervisor

information literacy, thinking and reflection.

2 The student demonstrates some:

3 The student demonstrates satisfactory:

4 The student demonstrates well-developed:

Criterion B: Define the goal

Maximum: 4

Students should:

identify and explain a topic based on personal interest justify one focus area of interaction as a context for the project

22

outline a clear, achievable, challenging goal create specifications that will be used to evaluate the project’s outcome/product.

The specifications for the product/outcome created by the student, in consultation with the project supervisor, are used to evaluate the success of the project.

These student-created specifications for their product/outcome link to criterion E, in which the student evaluates his or her outcome/product.

Achievement level

Level descriptor

0 The student has not reached a standard described by any of the descriptors given below.

1 The student:

identifies the topic of interest, a focus area of interaction and a limited goal

creates minimal specifications to evaluate the project’s outcome/product or none at all.

2 The student:

outlines superficially the topic of interest, the focus area of interaction and an achievable goal

creates specifications for evaluating the project’s outcome/product, however they lack definition.

3 The student:

describes clearly the topic of interest, the focus area of interaction and an achievable and appropriately challenging goal

creates satisfactory specifications for evaluating the project’s outcome/product.

4 The student:

justifies effectively the topic of interest, the focus area of interaction and an achievable and appropriately challenging goal

creates appropriately rigorous specifications for evaluating the project’s outcome/product.

23

Criterion C: Select sources

Maximum: 4

Students should:

select varied, relevant sources to achieve the goal evaluate sources.

Evidence will be seen in the body of the report and the bibliography.

Achievement level

Level descriptor

0 The student has not reached a standard described by any of the descriptors given below.

1

The student:

selects very few relevant sources to achieve the goal

demonstrates minimal evaluation of sources.

2 selects some relevant sources to achieve the goal

demonstrates some evaluation of sources.

3 selects a satisfactory variety of relevant sources to achieve the goal

demonstrates satisfactory evaluation of sources.

4 selects a wide variety of relevant sources to achieve the goal

demonstrates well-developed evaluation of sources.

Criterion D: Apply information

Maximum: 4

Students should:

transfer and apply information to make decisions, create solutions and develop understandings in connection with the project’s goal.

24

Students interpret the information from sources they have researched and selected. By thinking about the information, students develop a broader context for their inquiry; identify questions and issues for their project and solve problems.

Students may have researched information relating to techniques, which can be discussed in the context of this objective.

Achievement level

Level descriptor

0 The student has not reached a standard described by any of the descriptors given below.

1 The student demonstrates minimal:

transfer and application of information to make decisions, create solutions and develop understandings in connection with the project’s goal.

2 The student demonstrates some:

3 The student demonstrates satisfactory:

4 The student demonstrates well-developed:

Criterion E: Achieve the goal

Maximum: 4

Students should:

evaluate the outcome/product against their own specifications for success.

Achievement level

Level descriptor

0 The student has not reached a standard described by any of the descriptors given below.

25

1

The student evaluates the quality of the outcome/product.

The outcome/product is of very limited quality and meets few of the specifications.

2 The outcome/product is of limited quality and meets some of the specifications.

3 The outcome/product is of satisfactory quality and meets many of the specifications.

4 he outcome/product is of high quality and meets most or all of the specifications.

Criterion F: Reflect on learning

Maximum: 4

Students should:

reflect on how completing the project has extended their knowledge and understanding of the topic and the focus area of interaction

reflect on how they have developed as a learner by completing the project.

This criterion addresses the quality of ideas expressed not the quality of language used.

Achievement level

Level descriptor

0 The student has not reached a standard described by any of the descriptors given below.

1 The student demonstrates minimal:

26

reflection on how completing the project has extended his or her knowledge and understanding of the topic and focus area of interaction

reflection on how he or she has developed as a learner by completing the project.

2 The student demonstrates some:

3 The student demonstrates satisfactory:

4 The student demonstrates well-developed:

Criterion G: Report the project

Maximum: 4

Students should:

organize the project report according to the required structure communicate clearly, coherently and concisely, within required limits acknowledge sources according to recognized conventions.

This criterion will include judgments about presentation, writing (or speaking) conventions, mechanics, grammar, word choice, voice, audience, for example.

Achievement level

Level descriptor

0 The student has not reached a standard described by any of the descriptors given below.

1 minimal organization of the project report according to the required structure

27

The student demonstrates:

communication, which is rarely clear, coherent and concise and may not meet required limits

inaccurate use of recognized conventions to acknowledge sources or no acknowledgement of sources.

2 some organization of the project report according to the required structure

communication, which is sometimes clear, coherent and concise and is within required limits

some accurate use of recognized conventions to acknowledge sources.

3 satisfactory organization of the project report according to the required structure

communication, which is generally clear, coherent and concise and is within required limits

generally accurate use of recognized conventions to acknowledge sources.

4 consistent organization of the project report according to the required structure

communication, which is clear, coherent and concise and is within required limits

accurate use of recognized conventions to acknowledge sources, possibly with minor errors.

28